Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) and Leonio Land Holdings, Inc. are targeting a soft opening by the end of 2026 for the first neighborhood retail hub at Alviera, their 1,800-hectare estate in Porac, Pampanga.

Construction of the retail center, to be called The Shops Alviera, is already under way, the companies said in a statement issued Monday.

Ayala Land, one of the Philippines’ largest listed property developers, described the project as its first “signature retail concept” in Northern Luzon. The retail and lifestyle hub is intended to serve residents of the estate as well as surrounding communities in Pampanga.

The project follows the estate-led approach Ayala Land has applied across developments outside Metro Manila, where residential, industrial and institutional components are established before retail is layered in. Alviera sits along the Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway near the Clark Freeport Zone, in a Central Luzon corridor the developer has promoted as a northern growth center. Established retail in Pampanga has been concentrated in large malls in San Fernando and Angeles City operated by SM and Robinsons, and Ayala Land itself runs Marquee Mall in Angeles — positioning The Shops Alviera as a smaller-format center oriented to the day-to-day needs of estate residents and nearby communities.

Confirmed tenants so far include 21st Bean Cafe and a 7-Eleven convenience store operated by listed Philippine Seven Corp., which holds the Philippine franchise of the global convenience-store chain.

The retail development adds to the estate’s growing list of amenities. Miriam College Alviera, which occupies 10 hectares within the estate, welcomed its first batch of college students when classes began on July 27. The school initially offered kindergarten to Grade 10 classes before expanding into higher education. The campus is the Quezon City-based school’s first outside its main campus, having opened basic-education classes in 2017.

Miriam College earlier announced plans to introduce graduate and technical-vocational programs, as well as international degree pathways through its partnership with Camosun College in British Columbia, Canada.

Ayala Land announced in June 2023 that it would spend P10 billion over three to five years to expand Alviera. Of that amount, P2 billion was allotted for the A-Block commercial area, while P8 billion was earmarked for infrastructure and residential development.

The estate’s 64-hectare industrial park has been sold out to locators including Monde Nissin Corp., Heavy Duty Packaging Corp. and Badan Building Materials Corp.

Alviera also offers residential developments catering to different market segments, including Park Estates by Ayala Land Premier and Vermont Settings by Avida Land. Leisure facilities within the estate include Sandbox, City Kart Racing and the Alviera Country Club. Milestones ahead include further tenant announcements for the hub and construction progress against the end-2026 soft-opening target, alongside the continued rollout of the P10-billion expansion program. — Juliana Chloe A. Gonzales